Motors



E. O. WINANS Jan. 31, 1967 MOTORS Filed March 20, 1964 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,301,228 MOTORS Edwin O. Winans, 4812 Edaefield Road, Bethesda, Md. 20014 Filed Mar. 20, 1964. Ser. No. 353,430 3 Claims. (Cl. 123-8) This invention relates to rotary piston motors and has relation more particularly to novel features applicable to motors of the type described in US. Patent No. 2,162,- 771, and it is an object of my invention to provide a motor of few parts, easily constructed, assembled, operated and maintained.

It also an object of the invention to provide a motor of this kind which requires but little space in which to perform its duty as compared with other engines of similar work-ing volume, generally called piston displacement.

It is also an object of this invention to eliminate conventional valves (poppet, slide or rotary), which are opened and closed against, or across, pressure differences, and eliminate associated timing cams and mechanisms.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved motor, rwhereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

The following is a description of same with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view partly in section, and partly in elevation of a motor having the features embodied in my invention, the section being along line 1-1 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the rotary piston taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on line 44' of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the rotary piston as it is positioned in FIGURE 1.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawing the casing of my improved motor is made in three parts, the front plate 11, the rear plate 10, and the triangularly disposed walls 6. The end plates being substantially flat and in parallelism and spaced apart :by the walls, which are equally placed around the axial center of the casing, by a distance substantially equal to the axial width of the piston 5, and are held together by bolts 18. Three compression-seal-piston-guide inserts 8 are attached to the inside of the triangular casing walls 6 at their centers. These inserts 8 are hypocycloidally curved on their inward faces and flat on their backs except for hinge-pin lugs near one end which are recessed in similarly shaped grooves in the casing walls 6 and which are spring supported by compression springs 12 toward their other ends. They have a flap like contact with the pistons periphery and have a narrowly limited range of motion.

The oblong curvalinear, or race-track shaped, piston 5 is in contact with the three compression-seal-piston-guide inserts 8 at all times. The working volumes, or compression chambers, are the spaces between the piston 5 and the three corners of the triangular casing 6. The intake manifold 22 is inside the front side of piston 5, and the exhaust manifold 25 is in the back side of piston 5, and are separated from each other by a supporting partition substantially perpendicular to the axis of rota- 3,301,228 Patented Jan. 31, 1967 tion. This partition has a central layer consisting of a compressible gasket or spring diaphragm 27 which joins the two parts of piston 5 together in its central area. The edges of the joint have interlacing teeth 28 which slide together or apart as the gasket 27 is compressed or released. This provides gas tight contact of the piston with the end plates 10 and 11, assisted by the compression pressures acting between the teeths tips. The intake port 23 and exhaust port 24 located in the oval pistons periphery open directly into the intake and exhaust manifolds 22 and 25 within pistons 5 and are never closed. There are no counter ports or passages that need closing across which pressure differences occur which need to be shut off by valve action. The intake port 23, exhaust port 24 and ignition plug 9 operate in proper sequence by reason of their pertinent location in the pistons periphery as it rotates in-to and out-of each compression chamber in turn. No other timing is required. Electrical contact with the ignition plug 9 is by means of suitable slip rings 19 and 20 and brushes 26, or other like means. The piston 5 is eccentrically mounted on crankshaft 7. The pistons proportions are substantially 2 times the crank radius thick, 3 times wide and 7 times long.

FIGURE 1 shows the piston 5 just completing the exhaust stroke and beginning the intake stroke of a four stroke cycle operation in the top compression chamber, and one-third along in a compression stroke in the lower right compression chamber, and two-thirds along in a power stroke in the lower left compression chamber. The rotation of the crankshaft 7 is clockwise and of the piston 5 counterclockwise at half the speed. A half turn, of of the crankshaft 7 constitutes a cycle, or stroke, for each compression chamber. The alternate position for the piston at the bottom of a stroke for the top compression chamber is shown by a dash outline in FIGURE 1. The driveshaft bushing, crank-piston bushing and crank disc bushing are numbered 13, 14 and 15.

The flow of the fuel-oil-air mixture is from the carburetor 16 through open passages in the crank disc 7 to the intake manifold 22 in front side of the oval rotary piston 5 and through the intake port 23 into the compression chambers where it is compressed and fired, and thence out through the exhaust port 24 through the exhaust manifold 25 in the other, or back, side of the piston and on out through the exhaust nozzle 17. The exhaust nozzle could also be made to serve as another driveshaft. For increased jet action the exhaust port would be located in the pis'tons periphery where it would be exposed in the compression chambers at an earlier point in the cycle of operation before the power strokes are fully completed. The gyroscopic forces clue to the rotating piston and crankshaft may be neutralized by suitable weight distribution between them which can also counterbalance the piston.

Cooling is by means of suitable cooling fins, or water jacket not illustrated in the drawing.

From the foregoing description it is thought to :be obvious that a motor containing the features constituting my invention is particularly well adapted to ease of manufacture, assembly, operation and maintenance; and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for that reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In an engine of the type described, a casing defining a flat chamber in the form of an equilateral triangle comprising triangular end plates, spaced apart along an axis normal to said plates and passing through the center of the triangles, connecting walls joining said end plates along the sides of the triangles, a crankshaft disposed along said axis and carrying an eccentric, a piston in said casing having an oval curvilinear periphery, said piston being rotatably journalled on said eccentric about an axis normal to its longer dimension at the mid-point of said dimension such that said piston can rotate about its own axis as said piston axis rotates about said casing axis, and a piston guide insert mounted in the center of each wall by a spring responsive hinge mounting, said insert having a hypocycloidal curved surface facing said casing axis and being swingable to remain in continuous engagement with said piston periphery, said piston, casing and inserts cooperating to form a plurality of chambers which vary in volume as said piston rotated, and inlet and outlet means communicating with said chambers.

2. In an engine of the type described, a casing defining a flat chamber in the form of an equilateral triangle comprising triangular end plates, spaced apart along an axis normal to said plates and passing through the center of the triangles, connecting walls joining said end plates along the sides of the triangles, a crankshaft disposed along said axis and carrying an eccentric, a piston in said casing having an oval curvilinear periphery, said piston being rotatably journalled on said eccentric about an 'axis normal to its longer dimension at the mid-point of said dimension such that said piston can rotate about its own axis as said piston axis rotates about said casing taxis, and a piston guide insert mounted in the center of each wall by a spring responsive hinge mounting, said insert having a hypocycloidal curved surface facing said casing axis and being swingable to remain in continuous engagement with said piston periphery, said piston divided into two axially moveable parts which are joined together by interlacing tapered teeth around the edges of the joint and separated by an elastic gasket which extends into the spaces between the teeth, said piston, casing and inserts cooperating to form a plurality of chambers which vary in volume as said piston rotates, and inlet and outlet means communicating with said chambers.

3. In 'an engine of the type described, a casing defining a hat chamber in the form of an equilateral triangle comprising triangular end plates, spaced apart along an axis normal to said plates and passing through the center of the triangles, connecting walls joining said end plates along the sides of the triangles, a crankshaft disposed along said axis and carrying an eccentric, a piston in said casing having an oval curvilinear periphery, said piston being rotatably journalled on said eccentric about an axis normal to its longer dimension at the mid-point of said dimension such that said piston can rotate about its own axis as said piston axis rotates about said casinig axis, and a piston guide insert mounted in the center of each wall by a spring responsive hinge mounting, said insert having a hypocycloidal curved surface facing said casing axis and being swingable to remain in continuous engagement with said piston periphery, said piston having within itself an intake manifold which preheats the air as it cools the piston before admission into the combustion chambers, said piston, casing and inserts cooperating to form a plurality of chambers which vary in volume as said piston rotates, and inlet and outlet means communicating with said chambers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 813,018 2/1906 Okun 12314 X 827,511 7/1906 Denton et a1 12314 1,158,467 11/1915 Evans 91- 56 1,427,05 3 8/1922 Bidwell. 2,162,771 6/1939 Wirians. 2,366,213 1/1945 Pover 123-14 2,512,254 6/1950 Mallory 60 -356 2,864,235 12/1958 Paris et a1. 2,939,438 6/1960 Bush 123-14 2,958,187 11/ 1960 Gough. 2,988,065 6/ 1961 Wankel et a1. 123--8 FOREIGN PATENTS 288,364 10/ 1915 Germany.

416,850 7/1925 Germany.

176,112 2/ 1922 Great Britain.

61,871 8/1923 Sweden.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

F. T. SADLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN ENGINE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, A CASING DEFINING A FLAT CHAMBER IN THE FORM OF AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE COMPRISING TRIANGULAR END PLATES, SPACED APART ALONG AN AXIS NORMAL TO SAID PLATES AND PASSING THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE TRIANGLES, CONNECTING WALLS JOINING SAID END PLATES ALONG THE SIDES OF THE TRIANGLES, A CRANKSHAFT DISPOSED ALONG SAID AXIS AND CARRYING AN ECCENTRIC, A PISTON IN SAID CASING HAVING AN OVAL CURVILINEAR PERIPHERY, SAID PISTON BEING ROTATABLY JOURNALLED ON SAID ECCENTRIC ABOUT AN AXIS NORMAL TO ITS LONGER DIMENSION AT THE MID-POINT OF SAID DIMENSION SUCH THAT SAID PISTON CAN ROTATE ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS AS SAID PISTON AXIS ROTATES ABOUT SAID CASING AXIS, AND A PISTON GUIDE INSERT MOUNTED IN THE CENTER OF EACH WALL BY A SPRING RESPONSIVE HINGE MOUNTING, SAID INSERT HAVING A HYPOCYCLOIDAL CURVED SURFACE FACING SAID CASING AXIS AND BEING SWINGABLE TO REMAIN IN CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PISTON PERIPHERY, SAID PISTON, CASING AND INSERTS COOPERATING TO FORM A PLURALITY OF CHAMBERS WHICH VARY IN VOLUME AS SAID PISTON ROTATED, AND INLET AND OUTLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBERS. 